Chapter 94

Ah, how could I have thought this person was as beautiful as a woman? This is someone who exudes such a strong male scent. I realized that the feelings Caine had for Adel were no different from mine.

"You should give me that back, too."

As Lionel answered sarcastically, Caine stepped closer to him and growled.

"Have you ever seen it? The look on his face when he runs through the Gottrop fields? He doesn't suit someone like Echmont. What? You would give everything you have? Don't make me laugh. How do you think you can satisfy him with just what you have?"

"……"

"I will definitely return with His Highness."

Lionel couldn't utter a word, as if something was stuck in his throat. He couldn't refute any of Caine's words. While Lionel was silent, Caine, suppressing the urge to take Adel away from this house immediately, strode up the stairs. ＊ ＊ ＊ Upon arriving directly at Adel's room, Caine stood by the door and quietly gazed at her. As he just stared without saying a word, Adel finally spoke.

"You must be tired, yet you don't rest. If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"……Will you return?"

Even as he asked, Caine's heart pounded fiercely. The woman he met again had changed in some unfamiliar way. Just half a year ago, she was running through the fields with him, but in just half a year. As expected, Adel didn't answer easily. Could all these changes really be due to the man she is staying with? Caine, with a distorted face, asked again.

"Do you remember the day you came to the bamboo forest to find me?"

'I will show you the vast world we can build together. So, let's leave this narrow place.'

The girl who had so easily overwhelmed him.

'I will take responsibility for you until the end, so come with me.'

"You said you would take responsibility for me, didn't you? I believed those words and followed His Highness."

The girl at thirteen had forgotten, but the boy at fourteen had engraved those words in his heart.

"Even when you agreed to the royal marriage, I felt a pain as if my intestines were being torn out, but I ultimately accepted His Highness's will. Because His Highness was someone who had to make such a choice."

Tears streamed down Caine's eyes before they could well up.

"However, I cannot accept that you would stay with Echmont, who deposed His Highness."

"……"

"Return, Your Highness. Become the master of Nox again. Run through the Gottrop fields with me again."

Caine was crying. Her past was crying. Adel approached her old friend and gently embraced his shoulder. She knew the loyalty and love he had shown her. But Adel, after hugging him, took a step back.

"Caine, on the day of the deposition, I wanted to die."

And to Caine, who looked at her with wide, surprised eyes, she said calmly.

"I'm reflecting on why I didn't die then."

"……"

"Give me some more time."

"……I will wait."

Caine, with a tearful face, bowed to Adel and fled the room. He leaned against Adel's door and bit his lip. ＊ ＊ ＊ Although she had asked for time, Adel had made up her mind while talking to Caine. Why didn't she die? Many things weighed on her mind, but the only person who came to mind at the moment she put death to her lips was one. After taking out the poison from the vial, Adel discarded it without hesitation. Her wavering eyes became clear again, and the moisture on her face dried up. Adel walked to her desk and resumed her work. Among countless futures, there was only one she truly wanted. The past connections that had held her back were not the ones that made her discard the last resort of death. The determination in her eyes as she wrote was firmer than ever. As time passed and the moon completely set in the west, the world began to fill with a dim light. Adel finished all her work. She neatly organized it and looked at the pale dawn. With her mind made up, the tasks ahead were clear. Even if she might regret it someday, it was something only those who had walked the path they wanted could do. At that moment, a small knock sounded, and someone cautiously opened the door. Lady Gix, upon seeing Adel sitting at her desk, opened her eyes wide.

"You stayed up all night."

"I'm fine. My mind is clearer than ever."

"……You've decided not to give up on life, haven't you?"

Adel slowly nodded at the old lady's words. Lady Gix, relieved, smiled and said affectionately.

"Yes, that's good."

"Thank you. I've been greatly helped by you since I came here."

"……You've decided to go to Gottrop, haven't you?"

"For now."

"For now?" Lady Gix felt puzzled by Adel's words but didn't ask further. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, the Duke of Despoina, who had been unable to sleep, was venting his anger on Renox, who had finally shown his face after several days.

"You damn fool!! Where the hell have you been all this time?!"

Renox bowed so low his head almost touched the ground, but the Duke only calmed down after spewing out all his insults. He then frowned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Listen carefully, Renox. The nobles' movements are not good."

Renox listened intently, his eyes shining.

"While the foolish emperor is infatuated with that woman, Elisabeth and Baldr are gathering the nobles."

The Duke, recalling the map of the tower in his mind, continued.

"Neglecting the knights while focusing on Baldr was a mistake…… But it's fine. The tower will soon descend upon the capital."

"The tower will descend upon the capital?"

"Yes. A large tower will descend. It would be troublesome if it descends directly on the palace like last time, but we can sweep away all the rebels in one go."

It would be best if it descended in a place not too far from the capital. The Duke looked at Renox with shining eyes.

"On the day the tower descends on the capital, I will root out Grand, Baldr, and Herbert. Prepare the mages to deal with them in advance. Once those three are gone, the minor nobles who dared to join them will know better than to show their faces."

Renox nodded solemnly.

"Yes, I understand."

"Hurry up and prepare, Renox. There's not much time left."

His whisper was thick with greed and madness. ＊ ＊ ＊ While the Duke of Despoina was busy with his secret operations, the emperor was spending a sleepless night. His mind was still focused on Adelaide.

"Princess Gottrop is still staying at the Viscount Herbert's residence, it seems."

The attendant had repeated the same words six times already. Seeing no response from the emperor, the attendant cautiously asked.

"Should I check again?"

"……"

"……Your Majesty?"

"I need to meet the empress."

The attendant looked at the emperor with a horrified face. It was a level of obsession that made one feel suffocated just by looking at it. The emperor, rising from his seat, ran his fingers through his hair. His already sharp jawline became even more pronounced.

"Bring me a coat. I'm going to the Viscount Herbert's residence now."

＊ ＊ ＊ Gibeon looked at Caine, who had a deathly pale face and was silent, with a bitter expression. In fact, Gibeon had opposed Caine's visit to Adel from the beginning. If Adel was doing well, Caine's infatuation would only deepen, and if she looked unhappy, it would also be a big problem. Gibeon sighed deeply, scratched the back of his head, and flopped onto the bed.

"Exactly how rotten and decayed must this person be for His Highness to say she cannot be with him? I'm talking about the emperor of Echmont."

Gibeon's muttering received no response from Caine.

"Caine, don't worry too much. His Highness will go to Gottrop. She must know that it's not ideal for a princess to be too deeply involved in the affairs of another country."

"……"

At that moment, something strange happened outside the window. Gibeon jumped out of bed and headed to the window. In the gray dawn, as the outlines of objects gradually became clearer, a man was seen walking briskly toward the viscount's residence. A few attendants were following him at a quick pace, and the viscount's butler was walking beside them with a troubled look. Gibeon's shoulders tensed as he recognized the man's attire. Gibeon frowned and growled.

"It seems the emperor of Echmont has arrived."

At those words, Caine, who had been sitting, jumped up and rushed over like the wind. The man striding through the viscount's garden as if it were his own home was clearly the emperor. They instinctively realized he had come to see Adel. Without a word, they quickly unpacked their bags, took out their Gottrop-style uniforms, and changed into them before rushing to Adel's room. They were determined not to let Adel face this humiliation alone.